The typical computing structure of personal computers includes a data-centric view of human performance and the concept of disparate Applications. These Applications are traditionally described as providing specialized functions, but each Application imposes a definite structure and unique limitations.
However, the concept of working within such arbitrary limitations imposed by the application specific computing structure is foreign to typical human productive work. People value information, which may be defined as data within a meaningful context, much more than data alone. The personal computer, by nature of its architecture, deals with data values abstracted from the information on, for example, pieces of paper. It requires the definition, creation and maintenance of an arbitrary structure typically a database schema to house the data. The personal computer provides no general process capable of moving data values between its data schema and an informational context understandable by the human. The typical computing environment introduces a requirement for a significant level of technical knowledge of the applications in the computing environment in addition to task specific knowledge. The user may have to translate his task requirements into several constructs useable by the computing environment. These constructs include, but are not limited to, one or more data schema or one or more data databases, one or more applications and frequently a programming language. Thus, the concept of data centricity in the traditional view of computer application is an artificial construct that is cumbersome for users.
Humans are able to handle very complex informational relationships using long-held multi-cultural traditions of recording and organizing information on pieces of paper. Humans can perform up to twenty-two types of information manipulation or tasks using pieces or pages of paper. These information tasks include the ability to draw, paste images, create datum containing fields, create lists for values, create tables for values, create hierarchies for values, create networks for values, write music, write data values into fields, erase and edit existing data values in fields, encode and/or decode data values, translate values among natural languages, perform calculations and/or derive values, create charts and/or graphs, distinguish among page Instances, combine with other Page and/or Page Instances into documents, secure documents, destroy documents, store documents, distribute documents, publish documents, and reference values on other Pages or Page Instances.
Accordingly, there remains a need to support the aforementioned human informational tasks that can be performed on pages of paper without imposing application specific limitations and constructs in a computing environment.